Inkspills About Grace

Inkspill No. 12: Vote the Word

My Bible is big, fat, heavy, with gold-edged pages and my name engraved on its red leather front. The finest gift, by far, that I have ever bought myself. Of course, what makes it special is not its cover but what’s inside it. Wisdom is more valuable than rubies, and to find it every time I open my Bible is to find treasure beyond price–each and every day. Cultivating this reverent attitude toward scripture does wonders for one’s spiritual growth. For if you don’t value the Word, how will you believe it? And if you don’t believe it, how can it change your life?

I say all this to make an important point, which is that a distinction must be made between natural facts, and truth. While the world is full of malleable, temporal facts, there is only one source of truth, and that is the Word of God (John 17:17). God’s truth never changes, and always sets us free.

I am something of a politics enthusiast, it has to be said. My endeavor is to make this passion bring out the best in me, rather than the worst. Political fervor is naturally to be encouraged in the good citizens of the United States, but if it causes strife, particularly in the Body of Christ, it has been taken too far. This is where the wisdom of the Word of God comes in. If we listen to the Word of God and speak and vote for the TRUTH rather than what we feel or what our egos dictate, I believe that not only will the church be in harmony politically, with God’s candidate ending up in the White House this next election, but that the Lord will heal our land. It can happen because II Chronicles 7:14 says so, and as far as presidential candidates go, you may be sure that God can use at least one of them. He always has a plan. It is our job, however, to look away from the surface of things and seek His face, not the face of a mere human being. Otherwise we will be repeatedly disappointed.

“Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint.” – Proverbs 25:19

I have been, despite my best intentions, very guilty of relying on the integrity and faithfulness of human beings to determine how my vote will be cast. This only worked for a time, however. Eventually my favored candidate disappointed me and I spent a day or two in the deepest doldrums. That’s when I ran across Proverbs 25:19, and realized that, in himself, no man is faithful (Proverbs 20:6). In other words, I had been looking for perfection in a candidate instead of listening for God’s choice, and then had become discouraged when perfection wasn’t there after all. I had placed my confidence in a candidate’s changeable human qualities, which severely damaged my hope. Reader, I beg you not to make this mistake. King Solomon was right; it is like a broken tooth and a lame foot. Disappointed hope makes the heart sick.

When I found Proverbs 25:19, God showed me that He is not looking for a perfect person to be president. He is looking for a teachable person; someone who will have ears open to the Lord’s reproof and a heart ready to repent. You may decide for yourself which candidate possesses those qualities. I am still considering, but I have certainly repented of misplaced confidence, and have forgiven each and every candidate in the presidential race for everything they have said or done to offend me. I am starting over and listening to the Spirit with all my might. When all is said and done, I will vote the Word.

I have a final thought to bring forward in conclusion. Until a week ago, I had a two-dollar bill tucked in the pages of the aforementioned Bible. Every time I came across it while studying scripture, it reminded me to pray for the person who gave it to me. Then, at church last week, near the end of the service, it slipped out of my Bible and into my lap. I immediately knew I needed to put it into the offering basket (kept at the front of the church for anyone who feels led to give). I was puzzled, however, because I already had an offering ready. Why the two-dollar bill? I silently asked God. Over time it had become something like a treasure to me.

I somberly studied it, front and back. On the back was a miniaturized version of Trumbull’s Declaration of Independence, depicting the first draft of the Declaration being presented to the Second Continental Congress. I somberly studied each tiny face of the forty-seven patriots, loving them, wanting their answers. I could pick out Benjamin Franklin right away, but he did not offer me any sage insight. It was a long moment before I noticed the caption at the bottom of the picture, and I understood. In minute capital letters, the back of the two-dollar bill bears the official motto of the United States of America: IN GOD WE TRUST.

My heart flooded with emotion when I realized that I was holding America in my hand, and that if I placed it in the offering basket, I would be enforcing my ultimate decision to trust God. He wants me to trust him with this monumental treasure that is what I love the most about life on this earth. I offer not the faintest shadow of an apology for this: I love America. And to put my country and its future entirely in God’s hands, I felt a little like Abraham placing his son on the altar. It was a decision to believe that God will heal this land, no matter what happens. Whether the person I vote for reaches office or not, God’s power will never diminish, and His promises are YES and AMEN. With this firmly in mind, I invite the people of the United States to place your confidence in the Lord, forever forgive the human beings running for office, and vote the Word.